Waits for surgery and treatment cost Canadians more than $982 million last year: Study

Long waits for surgery and medical treatment cost Canadians more than $982 million in lost time and productivity last year, a new Fraser Institute report says.

The study, The Private Cost of Public Queues for Medically Necessary Care, calculates that the 870,462 patients who waited for surgery last year lost an average of $1,129.

When hours outside the work week are factored in, including evenings and weekends (less than eight hours of sleep per night), the estimated cost of waiting increases to about $3,447 per patient — more than $3 billion in total.

“Canadians face some of the longest waits for health care in the developed world. This creates unnecessary pain and suffering for patients and their families and reduces their ability to participate fully in their lives,” said Nadeem Esmail, the think-tank’s director of health policy studies.

Canadians waited 9.3 weeks, on average, between an appointment with a specialist and treatment, for a total loss of time of 10.6 million weeks. That wait didn’t include the delay in getting to see a specialist in the first place.

The average wait in Ontario was the shortest among the provinces — seven weeks on average. Heart patients waited a full week, on average, before receiving emergency surgery, while people with broken bones and damaged ligaments waited nearly 18 weeks to see an orthopedic surgeon.

Medical costs, such as increased risk of mortality or adverse consequences resulting from long delays for treatment, are also not included in the $982-million figure.